Eye Health
What is Diabetic Retinopathy? The Irish College of Ophthalmologists (ICO), the training and professional body for eye doctors in Ireland, explain diabetic retinopathy, the symptoms and treatment options. Diabetic retinopathy is a common complication of diabetes that affects the small blood vessels in the lining at the back of the eye. It is estimated that there are approx. 225,000 people living with diabetes in Ireland and 10% of those are at risk of developing sight threatening retinopathy. The condition causes damage to the blood vessels in the retina, the tissue lining the back of the eye that allows us to see, and affects up to eight out of 10 patients who have had diabetes for 10 years or more. The retina helps to change what you see into messages that travel along the sight nerve to the brain. A healthy retina is necessary for good eyesight. Diabetic retinopathy can cause the blood vessels in the retina to leak or become blocked and damage your sight. In the early stages, diabetic retinopathy will not affect the sight, but if the changes get worse, eventually the sight will be affected. When the condition is caught early, treatment is effective at reducing or preventing damage to sight. 18 Senior Times l August 2020 l www.seniortimes.ie
Diabetic retinopathy is one of the five main causes of sight loss in Ireland and the leading cause of blindness among the working age population. This is despite the fact that 70-75% of blindness is preventable with early diagnosis and treatment. Anybody with diabetes, either Type 1 or Type 2, is at risk of developing diabetic retinopathy. The longer you have diabetes, the more likely
you are to develop diabetic retinopathy. What causes Diabetic Retinopathy? Diabetes is a condition where the body can’t use and store sugar properly and this can cause many health problems. Too much sugar in the blood can cause damage to blood vessels throughout the body, including the blood vessels in the eye. When someone has diabetes, over time the blood vessels in the
